Method for controlling image forming system and wireless operation unit

ABSTRACT

A method for controlling an image forming system includes a shifting process in which a wireless operation unit from a sleep state to a ready state; a connection process in which the wireless operation unit connects individually to each of a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus via wireless communication without a wireless LAN router in response to the shift of the wireless operation unit to the ready state in the shifting process; and a display process in which the touch panel display displays, side by side, a first return icon to return the first image forming apparatus to a ready state and a second return icon to return the second image forming apparatus to a ready state in response to the execution of wireless communication in the connection process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an imageforming system including an image forming apparatus such as anelectrophotographic copying machine or an electrophotographic printer(for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, or the like) and awireless operation unit that controls the image forming apparatus viawireless communication, and a wireless operation unit.

Description of the Related Art

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-106369 discloses an imageforming system including an image forming apparatus and an operationportion detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus. This imageforming system has two operation modes, a normal mode in which the imageforming system operates normally, and a power saving mode in which thepower consumption of the image forming system is lower than the powerconsumption in the normal mode.

The operation portion has a power saving key (hardware key) forreceiving an instruction input for shifting to the power saving mode orreturning from the power saving mode, and the operation mode of theoperation portion is synchronized with the operation mode of the imageforming apparatus. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2015-106369, when the operation portion is set to the power saving mode,the power consumption of the image forming system is reduced bydisabling a key operation other than the power saving key.

However, in the field of commercial printing or the like, one user mayoperate a plurality of image forming apparatuses. A portable operationportion can be used to operate a plurality of image forming apparatuses,unlike a conventional operation portion dedicated to a specific imageforming apparatus. In this case, in the configuration disclosed inJapanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-106369, all connectableimage forming apparatuses are returned from the power saving mode insynchronization with the return from the power saving mode of theoperation portion, and an image forming apparatus not intended by theuser will also be returned from the power saving mode.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for controlling an image forming system including a first imageforming apparatus that has a first wireless communication unitconfigured to perform wireless communication and a first image formingunit configured to form an image on a sheet based on image data, and iscapable of shifting to a first sleep state in which the first imageforming unit does not perform image formation, and a first ready statein which power consumption is higher than that in the first sleep stateand the first image forming unit does not perform image formation, asecond image forming apparatus that has a second wireless communicationunit configured to perform wireless communication and a second imageforming unit configured to form an image on a sheet based on image data,and is capable of shifting to a second sleep state in which the secondimage forming unit does not perform image formation, and a second readystate in which power consumption is higher than that in the second sleepstate and the second image forming unit does not perform imageformation, a wireless operation unit that has a third wirelesscommunication unit capable of performing wireless communication with thefirst wireless communication unit and the second wireless communicationunit, a command generating unit configured to generate a first executioncommand to cause the first image forming unit to start performing imageformation, a second execution command to cause the second image formingunit to start performing image formation, a first return command tocause the first image forming apparatus to return from the first sleepstate to the first ready state, and a second return command to cause thesecond image forming apparatus to return from the second sleep state tothe second ready state, and a touch panel display configured to receivea touch operation by a user and capable of displaying a first executionicon to transmit the first execution command to the first image formingapparatus, a second execution icon to transmit the second executioncommand to the second image forming apparatus, a first return icon totransmit the first return command to the first image forming apparatus,and a second return icon to transmit the second return command to thesecond image forming apparatus, and is capable of shifting to a thirdsleep state in which power is predetermined power, and a third readystate in which power consumption is higher than the predetermined power,the method comprising:

a shifting process in which the wireless operation unit shifts from thethird sleep state to the third ready state in response to a touch on thetouch panel display when the wireless operation unit is in the thirdsleep state;

a connection process in which the third wireless operation unit connectsindividually to the first wireless communication unit and the secondwireless communication unit via wireless communication without awireless LAN router in response to the shift of the wireless operationunit from the third sleep state to the third ready state in the shiftingprocess; and

a display process in which the touch panel display displays the firstreturn icon and the second return icon side by side in response to theexecution of the wireless communication between the third wirelesscommunication unit and the first wireless communication unit and thewireless communication between the third wireless communication unit andthe second wireless communication unit in the connection process.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an image forming system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming system;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a remote control panel;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of animage forming apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of theremote control panel;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are configuration diagrams of the entire image formingsystem;

FIG. 7A is a diagram of communication transition between the imageforming apparatus and the remote control panel, and FIG. 7B is a diagramin which coordinates are displayed on the touch panel of the remotecontrol panel;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process procedure of the remotecontrol panel;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are diagrams illustrating examples of an operationscreen displayed on a display of the remote control panel;

FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are diagrams illustrating examples of anoperation screen displayed on the display of the remote control panel;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screendisplayed on the display of the remote control panel; and

FIG. 12A is a table diagram illustrating an operation mode of the imageforming apparatus, and FIG. 12B is a table diagram illustrating anoperation mode of the remote control panel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be exemplified indetail with reference to the drawings. However, dimensions, materials,shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of components described inthe following embodiments should be appropriately changed depending onthe configuration of an apparatus to which the present invention isapplied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention to those only.

An image forming system according to the present embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a schematicperspective view of the image forming system. FIG. 2 is a schematiccross-sectional view of the image forming system. FIG. 3 is a schematicperspective view of a remote control panel.

<Image Forming System>

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming system A includes animage forming apparatus 1 that forms an image on a sheet S, and theremote control panel 50 (wireless operation unit) that controls theimage forming apparatus 1.

<Image Forming Apparatus>

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an upper portion of the image formingapparatus 1 is provided with a reader 14 that optically reads an imageof an original placed on a glass surface (not illustrated) and convertsthe image into image data. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 isprovided with a processing device 16 that performs processes such as astapling process, a punching process, and a bookbinding process on thesheet S on which the image is formed. The processing device 16 is anexample of an optional device connected to the image forming apparatus1. In addition to the processing device 16 provided as an example of thepresent embodiment, as an optional device, a cooling device may be used,which cools the sheet S on which the image is formed. That is, theoptional devices referred to here refer to all devices that can beretrofitted to the image forming apparatus 1.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a seesaw type or tactiletype main power switch 79 that switches a main power supply on and off.Further, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a display panel 71 thatdisplays a lamp or an error code to notify a user of the status of theimage forming apparatus 1, such as the image forming process beingperformed, stopped due to an error, or in the standby state. Further,the image forming apparatus 1 includes a tower type lamp 72 thatnotifies the user at a distant position of the status of the imageforming apparatus 1 by turning on and off and blinking a light source.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a panel mounting portion73 to which the remote control panel 50 (wireless operation unit) isdetachably attachable. The remote control panel 50 will be describedlater.

As illustrating in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes animage forming unit (image forming portion) 15 that forms an image on thesheet S. The image forming unit 15 includes a photosensitive drum 9Y,9M, 9C, 9K, a charging device 2Y, 2M, 2C, 2K, and a developing device4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K. The image forming unit 15 includes a primary transferroller 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, a laser scanner unit 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K, anintermediate transfer belt 6, a secondary transfer roller 7, and asecondary transfer counter roller 8.

In the case where an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 1,an image forming job is first input to a controller 10 (see FIG. 4). Asa result, the sheet S stored in either a sheet cassette 75 a or 75 b isconveyed to a transport path 94. After that, the sheet S passes throughthe transport path 94 and is conveyed to a secondary transfer portionformed by the secondary transfer roller 7 and the secondary transfercounter roller 8.

On the other hand, in the image forming unit 15, first, the surface ofthe photosensitive drum 9Y is charged by the charging device 2Y. Afterthat, the laser scanner unit 3Y irradiates the surface of thephotosensitive drum 9Y with laser light according to the image data ofthe original read by the reader 14 or the image data transmitted from anexternal device (not illustrated) via a network, and an electrostaticlatent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 9Y. Theimage data sent from the external device is sent to a network connectionportion 84, which will be described later, via a wireless LAN router.

Thereafter, yellow toner is caused to adhere to the electrostatic latentimage formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 9Y by thedeveloping device 4Y to form a yellow toner image on the surface of thephotosensitive drum 9Y. The toner image formed on the surface of thephotosensitive drum 9Y is primarily transferred to the intermediatetransfer belt 6 by applying a primary transfer bias to the primarytransfer roller 5Y.

By a similar process, magenta, cyan, and black toner images are alsoformed on the photosensitive drums 9M, 9C, and 9K. By applying theprimary transfer bias to the primary transfer rollers 5M, 5C, and 5K,these toner images are transferred and superimposed on the yellow tonerimage on the intermediate transfer belt 6. As a result, a full-colortoner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt6.

After that, the intermediate transfer belt 6 moves around to convey thefull-color toner image to the secondary transfer portion. In thesecondary transfer portion, a secondary transfer bias is applied to thesecondary transfer roller 7, whereby the full-color toner image on theintermediate transfer belt 6 is transferred to the sheet S. The sheet Sto which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to a fixing device70 by a conveying belt 95. Then, the fixing device 70 heats andpressurizes the toner image to fix the toner image onto the sheet S.

Next, the sheet S on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed to theprocessing device 16 through a discharge path 97. When the userspecifies a process such as the stapling process, the punching process,or the bookbinding process, the sheet S conveyed to the processingdevice 16 is discharged to a discharge tray 16 a after the specifiedprocess is performed. If the user does not specify the process, thesheet S conveyed to the processing device 16 is discharged to adischarge tray 16 b without being processed as it is.

<Wireless Operation Unit>

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the remote control panel 50 (remotecontrol portion) is detachably attachable to the panel mounting portion73 of the image forming apparatus 1. The remote control panel 50 isconfigured to wirelessly communicate information with the image formingapparatus 1. Since the remote control panel 50 is not connected via acable (wired connection), the user can freely carry it around and cancontrol the image forming apparatus 1 at a position away from the imageforming apparatus 1. In this case, the remote control panel 50 accordingto the present embodiment is an operation unit that issues aninstruction to perform image formation to the image forming apparatus 1.That is, the image data of the original is not sent from the remotecontrol panel 50 to the image forming apparatus 1. The image data issent from an external terminal to the image forming apparatus 1 via thewireless LAN router, or is generated in the image forming apparatus 1 byreading the original by the reader 14. In this way, the externalterminal and the image forming apparatus 1 are connected to each othervia the wireless LAN router, whereas the remote control panel 50 isconnected to the image forming apparatus 1 without a wireless LANrouter. When the remote control panel 50 is mounted on the panelmounting portion 73, a charging connector 55 (see FIG. 3) of the remotecontrol panel 50 is connected to a power supply connector 73 a (see FIG.5) of the panel mounting portion 73. As a result, the image formingapparatus 1 detects the connection of the remote control panel 50, andthe image forming apparatus 1 charges a battery 57 (see FIG. 5) of theremote control panel 50.

Although the configuration in which the remote control panel 50 (remotecontrol portion) is detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus1 is exemplified, the remote control panel 50 (remote control portion)may not be detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus 1 andmay be separate from the image forming apparatus 1 and configured tocontrol the image forming apparatus 1 via wireless communication.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the remote control panel 50 includes a powerswitch 52 for switching a power supply of the remote control panel 50 onand off, and a speaker portion 53 for outputting a sound. Further, theremote control panel 50 has a status display portion 54 that is turnedon and off and blink to notify the user of the status of the remotecontrol panel 50 In this case, the status display portion 54 includes anLED, but is not limited to this configuration.

Further, the remote control panel 50 has a touch panel type display 51(display portion) in which a display portion capable of displayinginformation based on image data and an operation portion for detecting atouch operation from a user are integrated. By touching a key displayedon the display 51 with a finger to perform inputting, the user can set asetting relating to image formation, such as a setting for the number ofsheets on which an image is to be formed and a setting for the size ofthe sheet S, and can set a setting relating to image reading, such as asetting for the size of the original.

Further, in the present embodiment, as an operation display portionincluded in the remote control panel 50, the touch panel type display 51in which the display portion and the operation portion are integrated isexemplified. That is, the configuration in which the touch panel typedisplay 51 is mounted on the remote control panel 50 is exemplified.However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, theremote control panel 50 may have a configuration in which a hardware keysuch as a numeric keypad or a reset key is provided as a key operationinput portion separately from the display 51 (operation display portion)described above.

<System Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>

Next, a system configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a block diagramillustrating the system configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 1 includes acontroller 10 having a CPU 11, a ROM 12, and a RAM 13. The reader 14,the image forming unit 15, the processing device 16, the display panel71, and the like are connected to the controller 10. Further, thecontroller 10 is connected to the network connection portion 84 thatconnects to the external device (not illustrated) via the network.

The ROM 12 (storage portion) stores various programs and various imagedata relating to the control of the image forming apparatus 1. The CPU11 performs various arithmetic processing based on a control programstored in the ROM 12. The RAM13 temporarily stores data. That is, theCPU 11 controls the reader 14, the image forming unit 15, the processingdevice 16, and the like connected to the controller 10 to perform theabove-mentioned image forming operation while using the RAM 13 as a workarea based on the control program stored in the ROM 12.

Although the configuration in which the controller 10 has the ROM 12 asthe storage portion is exemplified, the present invention is not limitedthereto, and the controller 10 may have storage separate from the ROM 12as the storage portion. The storage is, for example, an HDD or an SSD,and is used for storing various data. The data stored in the storage is,for example, an image to be displayed on the remote control panel 50,print data, or the like.

The network connection portion 84 is used to receive a print instructionand print data for the image forming apparatus via the network. Thenetwork connection portion 84 is also used to receive user instructionsto change a setting of the image forming apparatus and turn off thepower supply from a remote location via the network by using the remotecontrol panel 50, a PC, or a tablet. In this case, the network to whichthe network connection portion 84 is connected may be wired connectionor wireless connection.

Further, the controller 10 is connected to a panel connection portion 80that connects to the remote control panel 50. The panel connectionportion 80 has a wireless communication portion 81 (first wirelesscommunication unit, second wireless communication unit) that performswireless communication between the panel mounting portion 73, which hasthe power supply connector 73 a and to which the remote control panel 50is connected, and the remote control panel 50. The charging connector 55of the remote control panel 50 is connected to the power supplyconnector 73 a of the panel mounting portion 73.

The wireless communication portion 81 includes a command communicationportion 82 and an image transmitting portion 83. The CPU 11 reads animage stored in the ROM 12 (or storage) and transmits the image to theremote control panel 50 via the image transmitting portion 83 of thewireless communication portion 81. Further, the CPU 11 generates aninstruction for the remote control panel 50 and transmits theinstruction to the remote control panel 50 via the command communicationportion 82. Further, the CPU 11 receives a notification generated by theremote control panel 50 and an instruction generated by the remotecontrol panel 50 via the command communication portion 82. In thepresent embodiment, the command communication portion 82 and the imagetransmitting portion 83 are configured separately, but may be combinedinto one communication line.

The network connection portion 84 and the wireless communication portion81 may be shared, but in that case, the Wi-Fi direct method, which is acommunication mode for directly connecting the image forming apparatusand the remote control panel, cannot be used. Furthermore, theconnection will be via a normal network (via an access point), and printdata, command communication and screen data will be communicated via thesame route. Therefore, since the amount of communication data increases,the response of the screen display on the remote control panel maybecome slow, and it may take time to receive the print data of the imageforming apparatus. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the networkconnection portion 84 and the wireless communication portion 81 areconfigured separately.

A power supply device 17 is connected to the controller 10. The powersupply device 17 receives power from a commercial power supply via anoutlet plug 19, converts the power into electric power to be used byeach device, and supplies the electric power to each device.Specifically, first, the power supply device 17 supplies power to thecontroller 10 when the main power switch 79 is switched from off to on.After that, the power supply device 17 supplies, based on an instructionof the controller 10, power to the reader 14, the image forming unit 15,the processing device 16, the display panel 71, the remote control panel50 mounted on the panel mounting portion 73, the wireless communicationportion 81, the network connection portion 84, and the like. In thiscase, a line connecting the power supply device 17 and the controller 10illustrated in FIG. 4 is a signal line. Through this signal line, thecontroller 10 instructs the power supply device 17 which unit to supplypower to. Further, in FIG. 4, a line connecting the power supply device17 to the image forming unit 15 is a power supply line, and power issupplied from the power supply device 17 to the image forming unit 15through this power supply line. Power supply lines are connected tounits such as the reader 14, the processing device 16, and the displaypanel 71 from the power supply device 17, but are not illustrated inFIG. 4.

The power supply line extending from the power supply device 17 to theimage forming unit 15 is connected to a drive source of the imageforming unit 15. That is, a “state in which power is supplied from thepower supply device 17 to the image forming unit 15” means that power issupplied to the drive source of the image forming unit 15, for example,a motor for rotating the photosensitive drum 9, a motor for rotating acharging roller of the charging device 2, a motor for rotating adeveloping roller of the developing device 4, a motor for rotating theprimary transfer roller 5, a motor for rotating the intermediatetransfer belt 6, a motor for rotating the secondary transfer roller 7,and the like. In a standby mode described later, power is supplied fromthe power supply device 17 to these drive sources. On the other hand, ina sleep mode described later, power is not supplied from the powersupply device 17 to these drive sources.

Further, when the main power switch 79 is turned off, the power supplydevice 17 stops the supply of power based on an instruction of thecontroller 10 (CPU 11). Further, even when the main power switch 79 isnot turned off, the power supply device 17 can turn off the main powerswitch 79 by stopping the supply of power based on an instruction fromthe controller 10 (CPU 11). The case where the main power switch 79 isturned off based on the instruction from the controller 10 (CPU 11) is,for example, when an abnormality occurs or when a power off instructionis received from the user via the network connection portion 84.

The image forming apparatus 1 can shift to a normal mode and a powersaving mode that consumes less power than the normal mode, and thecontroller 10 (CPU 11) performs control to reduce the power consumption.Specifically, when the user selects image reading, power is supplied tothe reader 14, but power is not supplied to the image forming unit 15and the processing device 16. When the image forming apparatus is notused, unnecessary power supply is stopped even in the controller 10. Thecase where the image forming apparatus is not used means, for example,the case where the image forming apparatus is not used for a certainperiod of time or the case where the image forming apparatus receives,from the user via the remote control panel 50, an instruction to shiftto the power saving mode. Then, when the mode shifts to the power savingmode, power is supplied only to user-input portions such as the networkconnection portion 84 and the panel connection portion 80. In order toreduce the power consumption, the supply of power to the panelconnection portion 80 may be stopped to limit user input to input fromthe network connection portion 84. In that case, it is necessary tochange the control such that the network connection portion 84 and theremote control panel 50 communicate with each other. When input from theuser is detected in the power saving mode, the image forming apparatus 1is returned from the power saving mode to the normal mode via thecontroller 10 (CPU 11).

<Various Power Modes of Image Forming Apparatus>

FIG. 12A is a table diagram summarizing the types of components to whichthe power supply device 17 supplies power in the image forming apparatus1 for each of the modes. The power modes of the image forming apparatuswill be described below with reference to FIG. 12A.

<Normal Mode (Standby Mode)>

When the image forming apparatus is in the normal mode, the power supplydevice 17 supplies power to the controller 10. After that, the powersupply device 17 supplies power to, for example, the drive source of theimage forming unit 15 based on an instruction of the controller 10. Whenthe remote control panel 50 is mounted on the panel mounting portion 73,the power supply device 17 supplies power to the remote control panel 50mounted on the panel mounting portion 73. In the normal mode, the imageforming unit 15 performs image formation when the wireless communicationportion 81 (first wireless communication unit, second wirelesscommunication unit) receives an execution command (first executioncommand, second execution command). That is, in the normal mode, theimage forming apparatus can receive the execution command.

<Power Saving Mode (Sleep Mode)>

On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus shifts from thenormal mode to the power saving mode, the power supply device 17supplies power to the wireless communication portion 81 and the networkconnection portion 84 based on an instruction of the controller 10.However, the power supply device 17 stops, based on an instruction ofthe controller 10, supplying power to the drive source of the imageforming unit 15 to which power was supplied in the normal mode. When theremote control panel 50 is mounted on the panel mounting portion 73, thepower supply device 17 supplies power to the remote control panel 50mounted on the panel mounting portion 73. In the power saving mode,unlike the normal mode, the image forming apparatus does not receive anexecution command. The power saving mode in the present embodiment isnot only configured such that the wireless communication portion 81 doesnot accept the execution command, but also configured such that thewireless communication portion 81 receives the execution command but theimage forming unit 15 does not perform image formation.

<System Configuration of Remote Control Panel>

Next, the system configuration of the remote control panel 50 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a block diagramillustrating the system configuration of the remote control panel 50.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the remote control panel 50 includes a panelcontroller 20 having a CPU 21 (controller), a ROM 22, a RAM 23, and atimer 24. The timer 24 clocks when the panel controller 20 performsvarious processes.

The ROM 22 (storage portion) stores data such as various programsrelating to the control of the remote control panel 50. The CPU 21performs various arithmetic processing based on a control program storedin the ROM 22. RAM23 temporarily stores data. That is, the CPU 21(controller) controls the display 51, the speaker portion 53, the statusdisplay portion 54, and the like connected to the panel controller 20while using the RAM 23 as a work area based on the control programstored in the ROM 22. The ROM 22 stores data necessary for control whenthe remote control panel 50 returns from a second power mode to a firstpower mode, in addition to the control program and various settings ofthe image forming apparatus. The necessary data is, for example,information of a list of connectable image forming apparatuses, data tobe output to the display 51, and the like.

The ROM 22 can also store an SSID (identification information) and apassword that are used to connect the remote control panel 50 to eachimage forming apparatus via wireless communication. For example, beforethe remote control panel 50 and the image forming apparatus areconnected to each other via wireless communication for the first time,the user operates the remote control panel 50 and stores the SSID andthe password in the ROM 22 in advance. Alternatively, the ROM 22 mayautomatically store the aforementioned information at the first wirelessconnection. The memory 22 stores, for example, a password (firstpassword) required for wirelessly connecting the remote control panel 50to a first image forming apparatus and an SSID (first identificationinformation) of the first image forming apparatus in association witheach other. Similarly, the memory 22 stores, for example, a password(second password) required for wirelessly connecting the remote controlpanel 50 to a second image forming apparatus and an SSID (secondidentification information) of the second image forming apparatus inassociation with each other.

Further, the remote control panel 50 includes a connection portion 90for connecting to the image forming apparatus 1. The connection portion90 includes a charging connector 55 connected to the power supplyconnector 73 a of the image forming apparatus 1 and a wirelesscommunication portion 91 (third wireless communication unit) thatperforms wireless communication with the image forming apparatus 1. Theremote control panel 50 in the present embodiment can perform wirelesscommunication with a plurality of image forming apparatuses. Forexample, an image forming system is assumed, which includes a certainimage forming apparatus (first image forming apparatus), another imageforming apparatus (second image forming apparatus), and the remotecontrol panel 50. In this image forming system, the wirelesscommunication portion 91 (third wireless communication unit) of theremote control panel 50 performs wireless communication individuallywith each of a first wireless communication unit of the first imageforming apparatus and a second wireless communication unit of the secondimage forming apparatus. Specifically, direct communication is performedin order using the Wi-Fi direct communication method. However, thedirect communication referred to here refers to wireless communicationperformed without a wireless LAN router, and is not limited to the Wi-Fidirect communication method.

The wireless communication portion 91 has a command communicationportion 92 connected to the CPU 21 and an image receiving portion 93connected to the display 51. The CPU 21 generates an instruction and anotification for the image forming apparatus 1 and transmits theinstruction and the notification to the command communication portion 82of the image forming apparatus 1 via an antenna (not illustrated) of thecommand communication portion 92. Further, the CPU 21 receives aninstruction and information transmitted from the command communicationportion 82 of the image forming apparatus 1 via the commandcommunication portion 92.

The image receiving portion 93 receives image data transmitted from theimage transmitting portion 83 of the image forming apparatus 1 via theantenna (not illustrated), converts the image data into image data to bedisplayed on the display 51, and displays the image data on the display51. In the present embodiment, the command communication portion 92 andthe image receiving portion 93 have been described as portions separatefrom each other, but may be combined into one communication line.

Further, the wireless communication portion 91 performs wirelesscommunication via the wireless communication portion 81 of the imageforming apparatus 1 by Wi-Fi direct communication, which is acommunication mode for directly connecting the image forming apparatusto the remote control panel (see FIG. 6B). Miracast, which is a displaytransmission technology that applies this Wi-Fi direct communicationmethod, is used in, for example, mobile phones, displays, projectors,and the like. The communication mode for directly connecting the imageforming apparatus 1 to the remote control panel 50 may be a mode inwhich wireless communication is performed by another method such asBluetooth or NFC instead of wireless communication by Wi-Fi. Further,the wireless communication portion 91 performs wireless communication ina communication mode for connecting the remote control panel 50 to theimage forming apparatus via the network connection portion 84 of theimage forming apparatus that can be connected via the access point 86(for example, a Wi-Fi router) (see FIG. 6B). Based on an instruction ofthe CPU 21, the wireless communication portion 91 switches between acommunication mode for directly connecting the remote control panel tothe image forming apparatus and a communication mode for connecting theremote control panel to the image forming apparatus via the access point86 and performs wireless communication.

The display 51 is a display portion capable of displaying informationstored in advance in the ROM 22 (storage portion) or informationreceived from the image forming apparatus via the wireless communicationportion 91. Therefore, the CPU 21 switches an image to be output to thedisplay 51 between an image held in the remote control panel 50 and animage received via the wireless communication portion 91. The outputimage may be received by the CPU 21 and output after switching or anoutput image selector may be provided outside the CPU 21 and switch theoutput image. In this case, the “information stored in advance” in theROM 22 is, for example, the model number or name of each POD machine. Ingeneral, as a case in which the user purchases the image forming systemA, first, a case in which the image forming apparatus 1 and the remotecontrol panel 50 are purchased as a set can be considered. In this case,the model number and the name of the image forming apparatus 1 purchasedas a set are registered in advance in the ROM 22 of the remote controlpanel 50. The timing for registering the model number and the name inthe ROM 22 may be before the image forming apparatus 1 and the remotecontrol panel 50 are shipped from a factory or when the image formingapparatus 1 is installed in a user's workplace or the like. After theimage forming apparatus 1 is installed in the user's workplace or thelike, a service person may register the model number and the name of theimage forming apparatus 1 in the ROM 22. Of course, these registrationoperations may be performed by the user himself.

Further, the above-mentioned registration operations may be performedwhile the image forming apparatus 1 is used. Specifically, first, theuser or the service person connects the image forming apparatus 1 to thenetwork. After that, by connecting the remote control panel 50 to thenetwork, it is possible to search for the image forming apparatus 1 thatcan be wirelessly connected. The model number, name, IP address, and thelike of the searched image forming apparatus 1 are displayed on thedisplay 51 of the remote control panel 50. The user compares the modelnumber and name of the image forming apparatus 1 that are recognized bythe user with the model number and name displayed on the display 51.When the model number and the name that are recognized by the user matchthe model number and name displayed on the display 51, the user touchesthe display 51 or the like to perform the registration operations. Theoperation of additionally registering, in the ROM 22, the model numbersand names of the second and subsequent image forming apparatusespurchased is also performed by the above procedure.

Further, as described above, the display 51 is a touch panel typedisplay (operation display portion) in which the display portion and thetouch panel 59, which is an operation portion for detecting a touchoperation from the user, are integrated. The display 51 is arranged suchthat the touch panel 59 overlaps the display 51, and the user operatesthe display 51 by touching the display 51 via the touch panel 59 with afinger.

In this case, when the user operates the touch panel 59, the CPU 21 ofthe remote control panel 50 transmits information of the operation ofthe touch panel 59 to the image forming apparatus 1 as coordinateinformation. This will be described below. FIG. 7B is a diagram in whichcoordinates are displayed on the touch panel 59 of the remote controlpanel 50. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the touch panel 59 is divided in anX direction and a Y direction. Although the number of divided sectionsdepends on the touch panel method or the like, the resistance type touchpanel of the present embodiment is divided into 2048 sections in the Xdirection and 1024 sections in the Y direction.

Coordinates are represented by (X, Y) according to the distance from theorigin with reference to the origin (0, 0). For example, a position Pillustrated in FIG. 7B is expressed as coordinates (1024, 512) since theposition P is 1024 away from the origin in the X direction and 512 awayfrom the origin in the Y direction. The coordinate data is transmittedfrom the touch panel 59 (see FIG. 5) to the CPU 21 of the remote controlpanel 50, and is transmitted from the command communication portion 92to the image forming apparatus 1 according to an instruction of the CPU21. In the present embodiment, data that is communicated between theimage forming apparatus 1 and the remote control panel 50 has an 8-bitlength, and the numerical values of the coordinate data are convertedinto ⅛ of the values and transmitted. That is, when the coordinates are(1024, 512), the coordinates are converted into (128, 64) andtransmitted.

Further, the remote control panel 50 includes a panel power supplyportion 56. The panel power supply portion 56 includes a battery 57 anda power generation portion 58. The battery 57 is a main power supply ofthe remote control panel 50 and is a rechargeable battery. When thecharging connector 55 is connected to the power supply connector 73 a ofthe image forming apparatus 1, power is supplied from the power supplydevice 17 of the image forming apparatus 1 to the battery 57, and thebattery 57 is charged. Further, the power generation portion 58 adjuststhe power of the battery 57 to a voltage that can be used by each deviceincluded in the remote control panel 50. When the power supply of thepower switch 52 is switched from off to on, the power adjusted by thepower generation portion 58 is supplied to the panel controller 20, thedisplay 51, the speaker portion 53, the status display portion 54, andthe connection portion 90.

Further, the remote control panel 50 includes a key operation inputportion 26 in addition to the touch panel type display 51 which is anoperation display portion. The key operation input portion 26 is ahardware key provided in an area other than the display 51 of the remotecontrol panel 50. The key operation input portion 26 has the powerswitch 52 that switches the power of the remote control panel 50 on andoff as a hardware key.

The remote control panel 50 can shift to a first power mode and a secondpower mode in which power consumption is lower than that in the firstpower mode, and the panel controller 20 (CPU21) performs control toreduce the power consumption. The CPU 21 stops the image output to thedisplay 51 and the power supply to the display 51 when no input is givenon the remote control panel 50 for a certain period of time or when theuser instructs the remote control panel 50 to shift to the second powermode.

In addition, the CPU 21 may determine that the CPU 21 is instructed toshift to the second power mode when the power switch 52 is pressed. Inthat case, it is necessary to distinguish between an instruction to turnoff the power supply of the remote control panel 50 and an instructionto shift to the second power mode according to the time when the powerswitch 52 is pressed. For example, the CPU 21 distinguishes between theinstruction to turn off the power supply when the power switch 52 ispressed for 5 seconds or more, and the instruction to shift to thesecond power mode when the power switch 52 is pressed for less than 5seconds. In this case, when the instruction to turn off the power supplyis given, confirmation of power-off may be displayed on the display 51.The method for switching the communication between the CPU 21 and theimage forming apparatus 1 when the CPU 21 shifts to the second powermode will be described later.

When the remote control panel 50 detects user input to the remotecontrol panel 50 when the remote control panel 50 is in the second powermode, the CPU 21 returns (shifts) to the first power mode. The userinput is, for example, the input of the touch panel 59 or the pressingof the power switch 52. Even in the case where the power switch 52 ispressed to shift the remote control panel 50 to the first power mode,when the power switch 52 is pressed (continuously pressed for a certainperiod of time) for 5 seconds or more, the CPU 21 turns off the powersupply of the remote control panel 50 or causes the display 51 todisplay a confirmation of power off. When the CPU 21 detects the userinput and shifts the remote control panel 50 to the first power mode,the CPU 21 displays the image stored in the ROM 22 on the display 51.The image displayed on the display 51 in this case will be describedlater, but a list of image forming apparatuses to which the remotecontrol panel 50 can be connected is displayed. Then, the CPU 21determines an image forming apparatus selected by the user fromcoordinates input from the touch panel 59, and transmits an instructionto return the selected target image forming apparatus from the powersaving mode to the normal mode to the selected target image formingapparatus via the wireless communication portion 91.

<Various Power Modes of Remote Control Panel>

FIG. 12B is a table diagram summarizing the types of components to whichthe battery 57 supplies power in the remote control panel 50 for eachmode. The various power modes of the remote control panel 50 will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 12B.

<First Power Mode (Standby Mode)>

When the remote control panel 50 is in the first power mode, the battery57 supplies power to the panel power supply portion 56, the panelcontroller 20 (CPU 21), the wireless communication portion 91, the touchpanel 59, the display 51, the speaker portion 53, and the status displayportion 54. That is, the battery 57 supplies power to all the componentsof the remote control panel 50. With the start of the power supply, eachcomponent is activated and ready for use.

<Second Power Mode (Sleep Mode)>

When the remote control panel 50 shifts from the first power mode to thesecond power mode (power saving mode), the battery 57 supplies power tothe panel power supply portion 56, the panel controller 20 (CPU 21), thewireless communication portion 91, the touch panel 59, and the statusdisplay portion 54. However, the battery 57 stops, based on aninstruction of the CPU 21, supplying power to the display 51 and thespeaker portion 53 to which the battery 57 has supplied power in thefirst power mode.

As described with “A” in FIG. 12B, in the second power mode, power issupplied from the battery 57 to the wireless communication portion 91and the status display portion 54 in a certain case, and is not suppliedfrom the battery 57 to the wireless communication portion 91 and thestatus display portion 54 in another case. For example, in the secondpower mode, the user can set a setting to switch whether or not thebattery 57 supplies power to the wireless communication portion 91 andwhether or not the battery 57 supplies power to the status displayportion 54. In this way, it is possible to perform a setting thatfurther reduces the power consumption in the second power mode.

A specific example of supplying (not supplying) power from the battery57 to the wireless communication portion 91 and supplying (notsupplying) power from the battery 57 to the status display portion 54will be described.

In the second power mode, whether or not power should be supplied to thewireless communication portion 91 depends on, for example, whether ornot the remote control panel 50 is to be activated from the imageforming apparatus 1. This is because it is necessary to supply power tothe wireless communication portion 91 in order to send a communicationrequest from the image forming apparatus 1 to the remote control panel50 and establish a state in which wireless communication is possible.

The status display portion 54 is, for example, an LED, and the ON/OFF ofthe remote control panel 50 is notified by turning on/off the LED. Inthe second power mode, whether or not power should be supplied to thestatus display portion 54 can be determined by, for example, viewing theremote control panel 50 in the off state and determining whether or notthe power ON/OFF is to be known. Some users want to know about powerON/OFF even in the second power mode to prevent the users fromaccidentally pressing the power switch even though the power is ON. Onthe other hand, since the display 51 is immediately turned on bytouching the touch panel 59, some people think that the function of thestatus display portion 54 is unnecessary.

Further, the status display portion 54 may blink or the like to notifythe user whether or not an error has occurred in the image formingapparatus 1. In this case, even in the second power mode, it isnecessary to supply power from the battery 57 to the status displayportion 54. In this case, it is also necessary to supply power to thewireless communication portion 91 from the battery 57. This is becauseit is necessary to inform the remote control panel 50 whether or not theimage forming apparatus 1 is in an error state via wirelesscommunication.

For the above reasons, the remote control panel 50 in the presentembodiment allows the user to freely perform a setting to switch whetheror not to supply power from the battery 57 to the wireless communicationportion 91 and the status display portion 54 even in the second powermode.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, power is not supplied tothe display 51 and the speaker portion 53 from the battery 57 in thesecond power mode. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the powerconsumption of the remote control panel 50.

<Communication Mode between Image Forming Apparatus and Remote ControlPanel>

Next, a communication mode between the image forming apparatus and theremote control panel for operating the image forming apparatus viawireless communication will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and6B. FIGS. 6A and 6B are configuration diagrams of the entire imageforming system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6A is a diagramillustrating a communication mode between a plurality of image formingapparatuses 32 to 34 including the image forming apparatus 1 and theremote control panel 50. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating acommunication mode between the image forming apparatus 1 and the remotecontrol panel 50.

In the communication mode illustrated in FIG. 6A, the remote controlpanel 50, the image forming apparatuses 1 and 32 to 34, and a PC 35 areconnected to each other via the access point 86. The user selects animage forming apparatus to be used from among the image formingapparatuses 1 and 32 to 34, and submits a print job from the PC 35 tothe selected image forming apparatus. In the communication modeillustrated in FIG. 6A, all the image forming apparatuses 1 and 32 to 34and the PC 35 are wirelessly connected to each other, but may beconnected to each other via cables by using a LAN hub that can beconnected to the access point 86.

Further, in the communication mode illustrated in FIG. 6A, the remotecontrol panel 50 is not connected to a specific image forming apparatusat the time of the activation and upon returning from the second powermode to the first power mode. That is, even when the remote controlpanel 50 returns from the second power mode to the first power mode, theremote control panel 50 does not transmit a signal to return to thenormal mode to the image forming apparatus in the power saving mode.

The remote control panel 50 that has returned to the first power modedisplays, on the display 51, a list of connectable image formingapparatuses stored in advance in the internal ROM 22. Then, the remotecontrol panel 50 is connected to the image forming apparatus selectedfrom the list displayed on the display 51 via the access point 86, andtransmits an instruction (return signal) to return from the power savingmode to the normal mode. In this case, the remote control panel 50transmits the signal to the transmission destination based on theinformation held in the remote control panel 50. Specifically, thesignal to return to the normal mode is transmitted to an IP addresscorresponding to the image forming apparatus selected from the list.When the image forming apparatus selected from the list is already inthe normal mode, the connection may be started without the transmissionof the instruction (return signal) to return from the power saving modeto the normal mode.

On the other hand, in the communication mode illustrated in FIG. 6B, theconnection between the remote control panel 50 and the image formingapparatus is switched from the connection via the access point 86illustrated in FIG. 6A to the Wi-Fi direct connection illustrated inFIG. 6B. The user can keep the connection via the access point 86, butthe Wi-Fi direct connection is superior to the connection via the accesspoint 86 in terms of responsiveness and operability of image display.Therefore, in the present embodiment, the communication method isswitched from the connection via the access point 86 to the Wi-Fi directconnection.

As described above, the remote control panel 50 displays, on thedisplay, a list of image forming apparatuses that can be connected viathe access point 86 at the time of the activation or upon returning tothe second power mode. The list of the connectable image formingapparatuses that is to be displayed on the display 51 is stored inadvance in the ROM 22 of the remote control panel 50 by communicationvia the access point.

Then, when the user selects the image forming apparatus to be used fromthe list displayed on the display 51, the selected image formingapparatus shifts from the power saving mode to the normal mode by theconnection via the access point. Then, according to a connectionsequence described later, the connection between the image formingapparatus and the remote control panel 50 after the shift to the normalmode is switched to the Wi-Fi direct connection, and image data receivedfrom the image forming apparatus is displayed on the display 51.

Since the panel connection portion 80 of the image forming apparatus isused only for direct communication with the remote control panel 50,power is not supplied to the panel connection portion 80 and is suppliedto only the network connection portion 84 in the power saving mode.Then, after the image forming apparatus returns to the normal mode,power is supplied to the panel connection portion 80, and the imageforming apparatus connects to the remote control panel 50 via the panelconnection portion 80 by the Wi-Fi direct connection. Therefore, thelist of the connectable image forming apparatuses stored in advance inthe ROM 22 of the remote control panel 50 is not IP addressescorresponding to the panel connection portions 80 for connection via theWi-Fi direct connection, but is IP addresses corresponding to thenetwork connection portions 84 (NICs) of the image forming apparatuses.Further, the IP address of the panel connection portion 80 (wirelesscommunication portion 81) of each image forming apparatus may be storedin advance in the ROM 22 of the remote control panel 50, or may beacquired from the target image forming apparatus 1 which has returned tothe normal mode.

<Wireless Communication between Image Forming Apparatus and RemoteControl Panel>

Next, the wireless communication between the image forming apparatus 1and the remote control panel 50 will be described with reference to FIG.7A. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating communication transition betweenthe image forming apparatus 1 and the remote control panel 50. In thiscase, a configuration in which the wireless communication portion 81 ofthe image forming apparatus is integrated into one communication lineand a configuration in which the wireless communication portion 91 ofthe remote control panel 50 is integrated into one communication lineare illustrated.

As described above, the CPU 21 of the remote control panel 50 returns(shifts) the remote control panel 50 to the first power mode when theremote control panel 50 detects user input to the remote control panel50 in a state in which the remote control panel 50 is in the secondpower mode. That is, when the remote control panel 50 is in the secondpower mode (third sleep state), the remote control panel 50 shifts fromthe second power mode (third sleep state) to the first power mode (thirdready state) in response to the user touching the display 51 (shiftingprocess).

Then, upon returning the remote control panel 50 to the first powermode, the CPU 21 displays, on the display 51, a list of the imageforming apparatuses 1 and 32 to 34 stored in the ROM 22 in advance. Theimage forming apparatuses 1 and 32 to 34 can be connected to the remotecontrol panel 50 via the wireless communication portion 91.Alternatively, the wireless communication portion 91 (third wirelesscommunication unit) connects to the wireless communication portion(corresponding to the first wireless communication unit) of the firstimage forming apparatus 1 via wireless communication (for example, Wi-Fidirect communication) without a wireless LAN router. Then, after thewireless communication connection between the wireless communicationportion 91 and the first wireless communication unit is disconnected,the wireless communication portion 91 connects to the wirelesscommunication portion (second wireless communication unit) of the secondimage forming apparatus 142 via wireless communication. In a method forcommunication without a wireless LAN router, such as Wi-Fi directcommunication, the wireless communication portion 91 connectsindividually to each image forming apparatus. Therefore, to wirelesslycommunicate with another image forming apparatus, it is necessary todisconnect wireless communication connection to an image formingapparatus that was originally in a connected state. In this case, theprocess in which the wireless communication portion 91 individuallyconnects to the wireless communication unit of each image formingapparatus via wireless communication is referred to as a connectionprocess.

Then, the CPU 21 receives a selection instruction indicating an imageforming apparatus selected by the user from the list of the connectableimage forming apparatus 1 and 32 to 34 displayed on the display 51. Inthis case, the process of displaying the list of the connectable imageforming apparatuses 1 and 32 to 34 on the display 51 is referred to as adisplay process. A display corresponding to each image forming apparatuson the list screen described in this example will be referred to as areturn icon. When the return icon is touched, a return command istransmitted from the wireless communication portion 91 of the remotecontrol panel 50 to the wireless communication unit of the predeterminedimage forming apparatus. For example, the image forming apparatus 1(first image forming apparatus) returns from the sleep state to theready state in response to receiving a first return command, and theimage forming apparatus 32 (second image forming apparatus) returns fromthe sleep state to the ready state in response to receiving a secondreturn command. In this example, in the list screen of the connectableimage forming apparatuses 1 and 32 to 34 displayed on the display 51,the icon corresponding to the image forming apparatus 1 is a firstreturn icon and the icon corresponding to the image forming apparatus 32is a second return icon. The CPU21 is also a command generating unitthat generates a return command and an execution command.

Then, the CPU 21 of the remote control panel 50 transmits an instruction(return command) to return from the power saving mode to the normal modeto the image forming apparatus selected from the aforementioned listfrom the wireless communication portion 91 of the remote control panel50 to the access point 86 (S1). The return command transmitted from thewireless communication portion 91 of the remote control panel 50 istransmitted to the network connection portion 84 of the image formingapparatus selected from the aforementioned list via the access point 86(S2).

The CPU 11 of the image forming apparatus transmits a response signal(indicating returning from the power saving mode to the normal mode) tothe aforementioned instruction from the network connection portion 84 ofthe image forming apparatus to the access point 86 (S3). The responsesignal transmitted from the network connection portion 84 of the imageforming apparatus is transmitted to the wireless communication portion91 of the remote control panel 50 via the access point 86 (S4).

When the CPU 21 of the remote control panel 50 receives the responsesignal and detects that the image forming apparatus selected from thelist has returned from the power saving mode to the normal mode, the CPU21 performs a connection sequence with the panel connection portion 80of the image forming apparatus. First, a negotiation request is directlytransmitted from the wireless communication portion 91 of the remotecontrol panel 50 to the panel connection portion 80 of the image formingapparatus without passing through the access point 86 (S5). When thereis no problem with the negotiation request received from the panelconnection portion 80, the image forming apparatus transmits a responsesignal from the panel connection portion 80 to the wirelesscommunication portion 91 (S6). When the wireless communication portion91 of the remote control panel 50 receives the response signal from thepanel connection portion 80 of the image forming apparatus,communication between the remote control panel 50 and the image formingapparatus is established. Next, the panel connection portion 80 of theimage forming apparatus and the wireless communication portion 91 of theremote control panel 50 mutually set communication conditions such ascommunication speed information and an image compression rate (S7, S8).

When the image forming apparatus and the remote control panel 50 areready to communicate with each other, the CPU 11 of the image formingapparatus transmits the image stored in the ROM 12 (or storage) from thepanel connection portion 80 to the wireless communication portion 91(S9). In this case, the image transmitted from the target image formingapparatus selected from the list to the remote control panel 50 is anoperation screen for operating the target image forming apparatus by theremote control panel 50. The wireless communication portion 91 of theremote control panel 50 receives the image. When the wirelesscommunication portion 91 receives the image from the target imageforming apparatus, the CPU 21 switches the image displayed on thedisplay 51 from the image stored in the ROM 22 to the image receivedfrom the target image forming apparatus and displays the received imageon the display 51. Then, the remote control panel 50 transmits thecoordinate information of the touch panel 59 operated by the user andthe status information of the remote control panel 50 from the wirelesscommunication portion 91 to the panel connection portion 80 (S10). TheCPU 11 of the target image forming apparatus performs an action on thereceived information of the remote control panel 50, appropriatelychanges an image to an image to be transmitted via the panel connectionportion 80, and transmits the image to the wireless communicationportion 91 (S11). In addition to the image, the CPU 11 of the targetimage forming apparatus transmits a command signal to turn on/off theLED of the status display portion 54 and to turn on/off the blinking andto turn on/off the sound from the speaker portion 53 (S12).

<Mode Shifting Process of Image Forming System>

Next, a mode shifting process of the image forming system will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating aprocess procedure from when the remote control panel 50 shifts from thefirst power mode to the second power mode in which power consumption islower than the first power mode to when the remote control panel 50 isconnected to the target image forming apparatus and switches an outputimage.

The CPU 21 (controller) of the remote control panel 50 shifts the remotecontrol panel 50 to the power saving mode, which is the second powermode (S71). That is, the CPU 21 stops the supply of power to the display51 and the speaker portion 53 of the remote control panel 50, to whichpower has been supplied in the first power mode. Further, the CPU 21appropriately stops the supply of power to the wireless communicationportion 91 and the status display portion 54.

When the remote control panel 50 shifts to the power saving mode, theCPU 21 shifts to S72 and establishes Wi-Fi connection (wirelessconnection) with the access point 86. When the CPU 21 connects to theaccess point 86, the CPU 21 shifts to S73 and determines whether or notuser input to the remote control panel 50 has been made. The user inputto the remote control panel 50 is input to the touch panel 59 or inputto the power switch 52. When the CPU 21 determines that no user inputhas been made, the CPU 21 shifts to S72 and maintains the state of beingconnected to the access point 86 until user input is made. On the otherhand, when the CPU 21 determines that user input has been made, the CPU21 shifts to S74, shifts the remote control panel 50 from the powersaving mode to the normal operation mode, which is the first power mode,and shifts to S75.

The CPU 21 determines whether or not there is only one image formingapparatus registered in the remote control panel 50 (S75). That is, theCPU 21 determines whether or not the image forming apparatus that can beconnected via the wireless communication portion 91 and is stored inadvance in the ROM 22 of the remote control panel 50 is the one imageforming apparatus. When the connectable image forming apparatus storedin the ROM 22 of the remote control panel 50 is the one image formingapparatus, the CPU 21 automatically transmits an instruction to returnfrom the power saving mode to the normal operation mode to the targetimage forming apparatus (S76) and the CPU 21 shifts to S80. The CPU 21connects to the panel connection portion 80 of the target image formingapparatus via Wi-Fi direct communication (S80), shifts to S81, displaysthe image received from the target image forming apparatus, and canoperate the target image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, when the number of connectable image formingapparatuses stored in the ROM 22 of the remote control panel 50 is notone in S75, that is, is two or more, the CPU 21 shifts to S77. The CPU21 displays the list of the connectable image forming apparatuses storedin advance in the ROM 22 of the remote control panel 50 on the display51 (S77), and shifts to S78.

The CPU 21 determines whether or not an instruction to select an imageforming apparatus to be used from the list has been given from the user,and waits until user input is given. When the CPU 21 determines that theinstruction to select the image forming apparatus to be used has beengiven, the CPU 21 shifts to S79. The CPU 21 transmits an instruction toreturn from the power saving mode to the normal mode to the target imageforming apparatus selected in S78 (S79), and shifts to S80. The CPU 21connects to the panel connection portion 80 of the target image formingapparatus via Wi-Fi direct communication (S80), shifts to S81, displaysthe image received from the target image forming apparatus, and canoperate the target image forming apparatus.

By performing such control, only an image forming apparatus to be usedfrom the remote control panel can be returned from the power saving modeto the normal mode in the image forming system in which the plurality ofimage forming apparatuses is operated via wireless communication fromthe remote control panel.

<Display Example of Image on Remote Control Panel>

Next, a display example of the list of the connectable image formingapparatuses stored in the ROM 22 in advance and displayed on the display51 of the remote control panel 50 will be described with reference toFIGS. 9A to 11. FIGS. 9A to 11 are diagrams illustrating displayexamples of an operation screen (list of the connectable image formingapparatuses stored in advance in the ROM 22) stored in the ROM 22 inadvance and displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50.

The list displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 9A is an operation screen in which buttons for eachof a plurality of image forming apparatuses connectable via the wirelesscommunication portion 91 are displayed side by side.

The list displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 9B is an operation screen having a displayconfiguration capable of scrolling when the list cannot be displayed inone screen on the display 51.

When the button of an image forming apparatus to be used is selectedfrom the operation screen, the remote control panel 50 illustrated inFIGS. 9A and 9B transmits, to the image forming apparatus correspondingto the selected button, an instruction to return from the power savingmode to the normal mode.

The list displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 9C is an operation screen in which a button for eachof a plurality of image forming apparatuses that can be connected viathe wireless communication portion 91, and an enter button fordetermination after the selection of the button are displayed.

When the enter button is pressed after the button of the image formingapparatus to be used is selected from the operation screen, the remotecontrol panel 50 illustrated in FIG. 9C transmits, to the image formingapparatus corresponding to the selected button, an instruction to returnfrom the power saving mode to the normal mode.

The list displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 10A is an operation screen in which a button of animage forming apparatus that cannot be used among the plurality of imageforming apparatuses connectable via the wireless communication portion91 is displayed in a non-selectable manner and a button of an imageforming apparatus that can be used among the plurality of image formingapparatuses connectable via the wireless communication portion 91 isdisplayed in a selectable manner. On the operation screen of the remotecontrol panel 50 illustrated in FIG. 10A, buttons of image formingapparatuses that cannot be used are displayed in gray-out state, buttonsof image forming apparatuses that can be used are displayed in white,and an image forming apparatus can be selected only from among the imageforming apparatuses that can be used. The image forming apparatuses thatcannot be used are, for example, not in an on state, otherwise they havea failure such as an error.

When the button of the image forming apparatus to be used is selectedfrom the image forming apparatuses that can be used in the operationscreen, the remote control panel 50 illustrated in FIG. 10A transmits,to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the selected button, aninstruction to return from the power saving mode to the normal mode. Theremote control panel 50 illustrated in FIG. 10A does not transmit theinstruction even when a button of an image forming apparatus that cannotbe used is selected from the operation screen.

The list displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 10B is an operation screen in which the button ofthe previously used image forming apparatus is selected from among theplurality of image forming apparatuses that can be connected via thewireless communication portion 91 and the buttons of the other imageforming apparatuses are deselected.

When the image forming apparatus to be used is the image formingapparatus used last time, the button has already been selected.Therefore, when the enter button is pressed, the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 10B transmits, to the image forming apparatus usedlast time, an instruction to return from the power saving mode to thenormal mode. Further, the remote control panel 50 illustrated in FIG.10B can deselect the previously used image forming apparatus when thebutton corresponding to the previously used image forming apparatus ispressed again from the operation screen, and newly select another imageforming apparatus when a button corresponding to the image formingapparatus is selected.

The list displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 10C is an operation screen in which buttonscorresponding to the plurality of image forming apparatuses that can beconnected via the wireless communication portion 91 are displayed sideby side according to arrangement information. The arrangementinformation of the plurality of image forming apparatuses that can beconnected via the wireless communication portion 91 is stored in advancein the ROM 22 that is the storage portion.

Further, the list displayed on the display 51 of the remote controlpanel 50 illustrated in FIG. 10C is an operation screen in which thebuttons corresponding to the plurality of image forming apparatuses thatcan be connected via the wireless communication portion 91 are displayedaccording to the sizes of the image forming apparatuses. The sizes ofthe plurality of image forming apparatuses that can be connected via thewireless communication portion 91 are stored in advance in the ROM 22that is the storage portion. In the operation screen of the remotecontrol panel 50 illustrated in FIG. 10C, MFPs 1, 6, 8 and 10 are linedup in the foreground, and MFPs 5, 3 and 9 are lined up in the back.Although differences between the sizes of the buttons indicatedifferences between the sizes of the image forming apparatuses (MFPs),the buttons may have the same size and may be displayed.

The list displayed on the display 51 of the remote control panel 50illustrated in FIG. 11 is an operation screen in which configurationsand product names are displayed in the buttons of the plurality of imageforming apparatuses that can be connected via the wireless communicationportion 91. The configurations and product names of the plurality ofimage forming apparatuses that can be connected via the wirelesscommunication portion 91 are stored in advance in the ROM 22 that is thestorage portion.

In this way, it is also possible to select an image forming apparatusaccording to conditions for use so that the arrangement, configurations,and product names can be understood. Further, a display or the like inwhich a usable image forming apparatus can be understood from a simplelist display may be displayed.

When the button of the image forming apparatus to be used is selectedfrom the operation screen, the remote control panel 50 illustrated inFIGS. 10C and 11 transmits, to the image forming apparatus correspondingto the selected button, an instruction to return from the power savingmode to the normal mode.

In this way, when the remote control panel 50 returns from the powersaving mode to the normal operation mode, the remote control panel 50displays a list of connectable image forming apparatuses, so that onlythe image forming apparatus to be used can be selected from the remotecontrol panel and return from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2021-007088, filed Jan. 20, 2021, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling an image forming systemincluding a first image forming apparatus that has a first wirelesscommunication unit configured to perform wireless communication and afirst image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet based onimage data, and is capable of shifting to a first sleep state in whichthe first image forming unit does not perform image formation, and afirst ready state in which power consumption is higher than that in thefirst sleep state and the first image forming unit does not performimage formation, a second image forming apparatus that has a secondwireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communicationand a second image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheetbased on image data, and is capable of shifting to a second sleep statein which the second image forming unit does not perform image formation,and a second ready state in which power consumption is higher than thatin the second sleep state and the second image forming unit does notperform image formation, a wireless operation unit that has a thirdwireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communicationwith the first wireless communication unit and the second wirelesscommunication unit, a command generating unit configured to generate afirst execution command to cause the first image forming unit to startperforming image formation, a second execution command to cause thesecond image forming unit to start performing image formation, a firstreturn command to cause the first image forming apparatus to return fromthe first sleep state to the first ready state, and a second returncommand to cause the second image forming apparatus to return from thesecond sleep state to the second ready state, and a touch panel displayconfigured to receive a touch operation by a user and capable ofdisplaying a first execution icon to transmit the first executioncommand to the first image forming apparatus, a second execution icon totransmit the second execution command to the second image formingapparatus, a first return icon to transmit the first return command tothe first image forming apparatus, and a second return icon to transmitthe second return command to the second image forming apparatus, and iscapable of shifting to a third sleep state in which power ispredetermined power, and a third ready state in which power consumptionis higher than the predetermined power, the method comprising: ashifting process in which the wireless operation unit shifts from thethird sleep state to the third ready state in response to a touch on thetouch panel display when the wireless operation unit is in the thirdsleep state; a connection process in which the third wireless operationunit connects individually to the first wireless communication unit andthe second wireless communication unit via wireless communicationwithout a wireless LAN router in response to the shift of the wirelessoperation unit from the third sleep state to the third ready state inthe shifting process; and a display process in which the touch paneldisplay displays the first return icon and the second return icon sideby side in response to the execution of the wireless communicationbetween the third wireless communication unit and the first wirelesscommunication unit and the wireless communication between the thirdwireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unitin the connection process.
 2. The method for controlling the imageforming system according to claim 1, wherein power is not supplied to adrive source of the first image forming unit in the first sleep state,and is supplied to the drive source of the first image forming unit inthe first ready state, and power is not supplied to a drive source ofthe second image forming unit in the second sleep state, and is suppliedto the drive source of the second image forming unit in the second readystate.
 3. The method for controlling the image forming system accordingto claim 2, wherein in the first ready state, the first image formingunit starts performing image formation in response to the reception ofthe first execution command by the first wireless communication unit,and in the second ready state, the second image forming unit startsperforming image formation in response to the reception of the secondexecution command by the second wireless communication unit.
 4. Themethod for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1,wherein when the first return command is transmitted from the thirdwireless communication unit to the first wireless communication unit ina state in which the first image forming apparatus is in the first sleepstate, the first image forming apparatus shifts from the first sleepstate to the first ready state, and when the first return command istransmitted from the third wireless communication unit to the firstwireless communication unit in a state in which the first image formingapparatus is in the first ready state, the first image forming apparatusmaintains the first ready state, and when the second return command istransmitted from the third wireless communication unit to the secondwireless communication unit in a state in which the second image formingapparatus is in the second sleep state, the second image formingapparatus shifts from the second sleep state to the second ready state,and when the second return command is transmitted from the thirdwireless communication unit to the second wireless communication unit ina state in which the second image forming apparatus is in the secondready state, the second image forming apparatus maintains the secondready state.
 5. The method for controlling the image forming systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the connection process includes a firstconnection process in which the third wireless communication unit andthe first wireless communication unit connect to each other via wirelesscommunication, and a second connection process in which the thirdwireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unitconnect to each other via wireless communication, and after the thirdwireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unitconnect to each other via wireless communication in the first connectionprocess and before the second connection process is started, thewireless communication connection between the third wirelesscommunication unit and the first wireless communication unit isdisconnected.
 6. The method for controlling the image forming systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication between thethird wireless communication unit and the first wireless communicationunit in the connection process and the wireless communication betweenthe third wireless communication unit and the second wirelesscommunication unit in the connection process are Wi-Fi directcommunication.
 7. The method for controlling the image forming systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the first image forming apparatus performsimage formation based on image data transmitted via a wireless LANrouter in response to receiving the first execution command from thewireless operation unit, and the second image forming apparatus performsimage formation based on image data transmitted via the wireless LANrouter in response to receiving the second execution command from thewireless operation unit.
 8. A wireless operation unit that is used tooperate a plurality of image forming apparatuses including a first imageforming apparatus having a first wireless communication unit configuredto perform wireless communication and a first image forming unitconfigured to form an image on a sheet based on image data, and capableof shifting to a first sleep state in which the first image forming unitdoes not perform image formation and a first ready state in which powerconsumption is higher than that in the first sleep state and the firstimage forming unit does not perform image formation, a second imageforming apparatus having a second wireless communication unit configuredto perform wireless communication and a second image forming unitconfigured to form an image on a sheet based on image data, and capableof shifting to a second sleep state in which the second image formingunit does not perform image formation and a second ready state in whichpower consumption is higher than that in the second sleep state and thesecond image forming unit does not perform image formation, and that iscapable of shifting to a third sleep state, which is a predeterminedpower state, and a third ready state, which is a power state in whichpower consumption is higher than that in the predetermined power state,the wireless operation unit comprising: a third wireless communicationunit capable of wirelessly communicating with the first wirelesscommunication unit and the second wireless communication unit; a commandgenerating unit configured to generate a first execution command tocause the first image forming unit to start performing image formation,a second execution command to cause the second image forming unit tostart performing image formation, a first return command to return thefirst image forming apparatus from the first sleep state to the firstready state, and a second return command to return the second imageforming apparatus from the second sleep state to the second ready state;and a touch panel display configured to receive a touch operation by auser and display a first execution icon to transmit the first executioncommand to the first image forming apparatus, a second execution icon totransmit the second execution command to the second image formingapparatus, a first return icon to transmit the first return command tothe first image forming apparatus, and a second return icon to transmitthe second return command to the second image forming apparatus; and acontroller configured to cause the touch panel display to display thefirst return icon and the second return icon side by side in response tothe shift of the wireless operation unit from the third sleep state tothe third ready state after the touch panel display is touched in astate in which the wireless operation unit is in the third sleep state.9. The wireless operation unit according to claim 8, wherein the thirdwireless operation unit transmits the first return command to the firstwireless communication unit in response to a touch on the first returnicon displayed on the display regardless of whether the first imageforming apparatus is in the first sleep state or the first ready state,and transmits the second return command to the second wirelesscommunication unit in response to a touch on the second return icondisplayed on the display regardless of whether the second image formingapparatus is in the second sleep state or the second ready state. 10.The wireless operation unit according to claim 8, wherein the thirdwireless communication unit connects to the first wireless communicationunit via wireless communication in response to the shift of the wirelessoperation unit from the third sleep state to the third ready state afterthe touch panel display is touched in a state in which the wirelessoperation unit is in the third sleep state, and then the third wirelesscommunication unit disconnects the wireless communication connection tothe first wireless communication unit before connecting to the secondwireless communication unit via wireless communication.
 11. The wirelessoperation unit according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communicationbetween the third wireless communication unit and the first wirelesscommunication unit and the wireless communication between the thirdwireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unitare Wi-Fi direct communication.
 12. The wireless operation unitaccording to claim 8, further comprising a memory configured to storefirst identification information identifying the first image formingapparatus and second identification information identifying the secondimage forming apparatus.
 13. The wireless operation unit according toclaim 12, wherein the memory stores a first password for wirelesscommunication connection between the third wireless communication unitand the first wireless communication unit in association with the firstidentification information, and stores a second password for wirelesscommunication connection between the third wireless communication unitand the second wireless communication unit in association with thesecond identification information.